UNAMA welcomes release of preliminary results from Provincial Council elections

20 May 2014

UNAMA welcomes release of preliminary results from Provincial Council elections

KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomes today's release, by the Independent Election Commission, of the preliminary results of the country’s Provincial Council elections held on 5 April.

“The Provincial Councils are Constitutionally-mandated bodies and an important element of Afghan democracy – they bring the principle of accountable democracy and governance beyond Kabul to the provinces," said the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Ján Kubiš.

“Real community engagement was seen in the provincial council elections, which positively contributed to a high level of participation in the 2014 elections,” he added.

The IEC is scheduled to announce the final certified Provincial Council election results on 7 June, after the adjudication of the electoral complaints by the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC).

“It is now extremely important that the IECC continues to carry out its obligations to address complaints from the Provincial Council elections in an expeditious and transparent manner,” said Mr. Kubiš. “For their part, the candidates must also display patience and respect of the process.”

The UN Mission notes that all electoral complaints should be addressed to the legal institutions authorized to adjudicate those complaints.